Lynching aftermath: Maharashtra's Rainpada village becomes a ghost place
Rainpada, a remote village of Maharashtra which was the scene of brutal lynching of five men five days back, has virtually turned into a ghost place. In the village with a population of 750, only a few elderly people and women can be spotted as young men have fled fearing arrest in the wake of the intensified police investigation into the lynching. Here's more.
Lynching triggered when someone tried to speak to 6-year-old girl
On 1 July, five tribals were lynched in the village by a large mob on suspicion of child lifting, another case of brutality triggered by social media rumors. According to videos which went viral, one of the five victims apparently tried to speak to a six-year-old girl after which they were pounced upon, stoned and thrashed with sticks and chappals.
Nobody to arrange food and water
"Our men have left their homes since Sunday and there is no contact with them since," says 72-year-old Dagubai Gaikwad, a resident of the village. She said since the young men have left, there is nobody to arrange for food and open water supply taps.
Only cattle and livestock could be spotted
Most houses were seen locked and the narrow lanes empty, with only cattle and livestock roaming around. Vishwas Gangurde, a member of Panchayat Samiti, said the village comprises about 750 people, of whom only a dozen old men and women are left. "Young men, who fled the village, could not take their elders along with them as they are not physically fit," he said.
No student has turned up in the village local school
Rajubai Kokni, a teacher at the local school in the village, said out of the total of 102 students enrolled, nobody has turned up to study since the incident. "I have been coming here since Monday morning but no student turns up. I sit idle all day and close the school at the end of the day," she said.
Kokni alleges main perpetrators from other village
Kokni said her husband Rajaram too was arrested by the police when he was working at his farm on Sunday. "Being a Sunday, I had accompanied my husband at the farm as well. We were sowing seeds there when out of nowhere the police personnel came and arrested my husband," she said. "The main perpetrators were from other villages," she alleged.
Witness claims around 3,000 people gathered for lynching
Gangurde, a witness to Sunday's incident, said when the five men were taken to the Panchayat Samiti office for questioning, people from adjoining villages called up their friends and around 3,000 people gathered and indulged in lynching
Police personnel distributing food material to women and elderly
Dhule Superintendent of Police M Ramkumar said his personnel were trying to distribute food material to the elderly and the women to ensure they do not go hungry. "We are sharing with villagers the food cooked for our personnel," Ramkumar said. Meanwhile, police have arrested 23 people so far and are looking for others involved in the incident in the village.
